X-Men 'pirate' gets a year in the slammer

A MAN has been sentenced to a year in US federal prison after uploading an X-Men film to a filesharing web site.

According to the Verge, Gilberto Sanchez allegedly uploaded an unfinished version of the film X-Men Origins: Wolverine to his Megaupload account, from which it was then shared across the internet. Prosecutors claimed this resulted in "millions" of copyright infringements, despite the fact that the film ended up grossing $373m worldwide.

Sanchez pleaded guilty in March to one count of uploading a copyrighted work being prepared for commercial distribution. He said that actually he had purchased the film on a Bronx street corner near his house. However, the original source of the working print was never identified.

US prosecutor Andre Birotte Jr said in response to the ruling, "The federal prison sentence handed down in this case sends a strong message of deterrence to would-be Internet pirates. The Justice Department will pursue and prosecute persons who seek to steal the intellectual property of this nation." µ